


Severus and the Doomsday Affair

by Jadzialove



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: M/M, snarry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-29
Updated: 2012-01-29
Packaged: 2017-10-30 06:57:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/329010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadzialove/pseuds/Jadzialove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus sets out on the journey of a lifetime, determined to live before he dies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Severus and the Doomsday Affair

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RaeWhit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeWhit/gifts).



> This story contains a bit more comedy than the title and summary suggest...
> 
> Written for joanwilder (RaeWhit). Thank you to my betas: Blamebrampton and Amand_r. Special thanks to the latter for inviting me to write this in the first place, to be included in a book for her mom for Christmas. If you ever need a Sooper Seekrit Keeper, Mandie's your girl, because she was in on both sides of my unexpected gift-fic exchange with joanwilder and never let on to either of us!
> 
> Unexpected as well, was the odd twist that had both joanwilder and me unwittingly writing seekrit fics for each other oddly based on Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movies. Yes, that right. This fic was inspired by the movie 'Joe vs. the Volcano' and borrows a few choice lines.

* * *

  
  
  
  
_**Severus and the Doomsday Affair**_  
  
  
Severus Snape led a very gray life.  
  
Each day, he rose before dawn. After cursory ablutions, tea (diluted, to stretch his supply), toast (dry), and watery porridge (lukewarm, for swift consumption), he made his way down the steep, narrow staircase to the shop below.  
  
A shop that was not his own.  
  
Severus brewed potions in a small, windowless room, ten to twelve hours a day for a pittance, then he made his way back up the narrow stair to his tiny, dingy flat, which served as the 'room' portion of his salary.  
  
He rarely saw the light of day, never witnessed a sunrise or a sunset. The only color in his life was the occasional colorful potion, which was indeed a rare thing. Hylton Brothers Apothecary catered to a large, very unremarkable geriatric clientele, and Severus rarely brewed anything more colorful than dishwater.  
  
Perhaps he should have felt gratitude: the Hylton brothers had taken him on six years ago, directly following his highly controversial acquittal, a time when others likely wouldn't have touched him with a ten-foot pole. But the work was mind-numbing and his life dreary, which was numbing in its own right, so Severus rarely thought in terms of gratitude. He kept his head down, not thinking at all when possible and not feeling, striving to become an automaton.  
  
He came closer with each passing day to achieving it.  
  
This day was no different than most of the others that preceded it. That was until the dull, persistent ache in his head (which was now so much a part of him that he nearly forgot at times that it was there) became rather more pronounced. The words on the potion order in front of him became impossible to read, and a wave of dizziness passed over him, forcing him to grab the edge of the workbench to steady himself.  
  
As it was the fifth such episode in half as many months, Severus decided that it might be prudent to seek medical attention. St. Mungo's was out of the question; after being cast as a villain by the _Prophet_ directly following his trial, Severus made it a point to avoid any large congregation of wizards.  
  
His mother had taken him once to a Healer, he recalled. It had been when he was a child, after he first showed signs of having magic. The Healer's name was just out of immediate reach in his memory, but it came to him in the middle of the night. Severus threw off his thin blanket and got out of his narrow bed to fetch a quill and parchment in order to write it down, lest he should forget before he woke again for the day.  
  
In the morning, before beginning his brewing, he used one of the delivery owls to send a message to Healer Washburn, requesting an appointment. By tea the next day, when Severus briefly left the confines of his workspace to take his meager afternoon meal, he found the owl waiting for him on the windowsill.  
  
Severus took the missive from the owl's outstretched leg, read it, then shooed the bird away without a reward for its trouble. "Off with you. This does not require a response."  
  
Maybe the Healer could cure what was ailing him and relieve the inconvenience it was creating in his workday. Ever the optimist, Severus reconsidered and thought, _but likely not._  
  
  
-:-:-:-:-  
  
  
Waiting in the examination room, Severus wondered why on Earth they insisted on keeping it so frigid. And why, if he'd made an appointment and had arrived on time—early even—was he then shown to this cold room and left to wait for half an hour?  
  
The brothers had not been pleased when Severus had informed them he needed the morning off; no doubt he would be brewing well into the night to make up for it.  
  
That was where Severus's thoughts were firmly anchored when the Healer finally made his appearance, wearing the white robes of a private Healing practitioner and carrying the questionnaire that Severus had filled out upon arrival.  
  
He'd expected the man to have aged, of course: it'd been thirty some-odd years since he'd been there last. But Healer Washburn was rather more ancient than Severus thought he would be. His thin, wispy white hair was fairly standing on end, he was stoop-shouldered, and the wrinkles on his face had wrinkles of their own.  
  
"How are we today, Mr. Snape?" he asked.  
  
" _We_ are unwell, of course, or _we_ wouldn't be here." Severus added curtly, "And now we are cold as well, sitting in this icebox for so long."  
  
"It _is_ cold isn't it?" the Healer agreed jovially, taking no offense at Severus's tone. "It keeps the brimblewangs and the do-wots at bay, you know. Now, let's see what we have here, shall we?"  
  
The examination commenced, and though it seemed a bit unconventional to Severus, he sat quietly and cooperatively so that he might be done quickly and get back to work. He'd learned, while at St. Mungo's with a stubborn, gaping wound on his neck, that questioning Healing techniques tended to be counterproductive.  
  
"Oh dear, dear, dear," Healer Washburn tsked.  
  
He muttered that same phrase over and over, until Severus's already limited patience was at its end. "Well, what it is, then?"  
  
The Healer looked at him sadly. "Mr. Snape, I'm afraid that you have... goodness, it's such a shame in one so young. You have something called... a _brain cloud_."  
  
Having never heard of such a thing, Severus wasn't terribly affected by the news.  
  
The Healer on the other hand, looked to be near tears.  
  
Feeling suddenly anxious because of the man's odd demeanor, Severus asked, "What does that mean? How is it treated?"  
  
"I'm sorry to say, it's quite untreatable. You have a handful of months, at most. I suggest you get your affairs in order."  
  
Severus was dazed by the grim prognosis and didn't object when the Healer hugged him with a sniffle, before taking his leave.  
  
He couldn't believe it.  
  
Actually, upon reflection, he could. It was exactly how his life had gone: survive a war injury that might have seen him lauded a hero, or at least respected for his sacrifices if he were among the dead, to instead be tried and, though acquitted, found guilty in the eyes of the general population, only to meet an ignoble end by something as ridiculous-sounding as a _brain cloud._  
  
Severus walked dolefully from the Apparation point nearest the shop.  
  
It was one thing to expect the worst. It was another thing altogether to be presented with it.  
  
He'd sacrificed so much to the cause. He'd survived teaching ignorant brats for decades, he'd survived the Dark Lord while engaged in subterfuge for _years_ , survived Nagini's normally fatal bite—he'd survived Margaret Thatcher, for pity's sake—it hardly seemed fair that he should be condemned to such an empty death now.  
  
The bell over the shop door signaled his return, but the brothers were at the shop's counter, involved in their daily late-morning argument, and did not comment. Lost in his own thoughts, Severus paid them little attention.  
  
"No no no, I didn't say that. I know he can _get_ the job, but can he _do_ the job? Entirely different," Fredric, the shorter but elder of the two aged brothers argued.  
  
"It is not. It's the same thing," Heinrich, the taller of the two, objected.  
  
"No, it isn't—I know he can _get_ it, but can he _do_ it?"  
  
"Rubbish, why would they give it to him if he couldn't do it?"  
  
"Exactly my point."  
  
The idiotic debate finally broke through the fog of Severus's gloomy reverie, sparking something inside him, something he hadn't felt in years: irritation.  
  
And with the irritation came clarity, causing him to see, for the first time, the decrepit shop for what it was. How he'd ever managed to effectively brew any potions in this dusty old shop, with its dusty old owners and its dusty old customers, he would never know.  
  
Without a word, he walked past the brothers, past his inadequate brewing room, up the narrow staircase to his dingy flat.  
  
Severus grabbed the bottle of Scotch he'd been rationing, allowing himself only an occasional dram when he'd had an especially trying day.  
  
He filled his glass to the brim with a shaking hand and sat down at his small, rickety table.  
  
Regret was a fire burning within him. He drained the glass, then refilled it. He'd never travelled, never learned the secrets of the world, had never seen any of the extraordinary, breathtaking, life-changing sights he'd dreamt of when he was young.  
  
Propelled by his thoughts, Severus stood and began opening drawers, Shrinking everything he put his hands on and dumping it all into a valise he'd transfigured from a cushion.  
  
 _Someday_ was a luxury he could no longer afford.  
  
He had no idea where he would go, but away from this place was a step in the right direction.  
  
Less than an hour later, he looked around the room, confirming that he had everything he wished to take with him, then hoisted the bag onto his shoulder and lifted the one thing he did not shrink: a tooled leather chest. It was rather bulky to carry, but not so large that it couldn't be done, and once it was secured in his arms, he headed down the narrow staircase for the last time.  
  
As he made his way through the shop, Fredric called out, "Snape! Where do you think you're going?"  
  
Severus turned, a hint of his old flair stealing into the action, and said, "Gentlemen. I quit."  
  
And with a smile, he headed out the door, ignoring the indignant shouts that followed him.  
  
"You'll never work again, Snape! Do you hear? Never!"  
  
Fredric was probably right in that, Severus knew, but it made little difference to him.  
  
Suddenly, he was free.  
  
He took a deep breath and marveled at the sweetness of the fresh air. Time was wasting though, and he now had precious little of that to squander.  
  
Spinner's End was his first destination. During his years as a spy, Severus had thought it wise to have funds readily available, and subsequently, he had both wizard and Muggle currency stashed away.  
  
It was a tidy sum when combined with his unspent earnings, and would be more than enough for whatever Severus decided to do with his remaining time on this Earth or for a few months' of self-indulgence, in any case.  
  
He walked away from his decaying childhood home, ready to face whatever came next.  
  
  
-:-:-:-:-  
  
  
Severus pushed the empty plate away from him, and reached for his glass, taking a swallow of Scotch to wash down the excellent shepherd's pie he'd just eaten.  
  
Walking into the Leaky Cauldron had taken every bit of nerve that Severus possessed. He'd been amazed when nary a head turned in his direction; he hadn't been assaulted with outrage and threats, but was instead treated as any other patron going about his business, largely unnoticed.  
  
His feeling of triumph had waned, however, when he'd reached the bar and discovered a former student manning it.  
  
She'd smiled in welcome, and had greeted him pleasantly, if mildly surprised. "Professor Snape, hullo! What can I do for you today?"  
  
"Miss Abbott." He'd nodded in greeting, slightly wrong-footed by her warm reception. "I have need of a room."  
  
She'd shown him to a room personally, and then, after insisting that he looked a bit peaky, she'd sent up an excellent meal along with the bottle of Scotch he'd requested. Severus felt welcome and fussed over; the hospitable reception was completely unexpected, but very much appreciated. He decided that she'd clearly found her calling as a publican, and she'd blushed when he'd told her so.  
  
He took another swallow of his drink and put the empty glass aside as well, in order to place the leather chest on the table in front of him.  
  
He'd made a mental list of things he should like to do before he died. The items included the usual, he suspected, such as traveling to foreign climes. The lack of other items had surprised him, though upon further consideration, nearly everyone he'd ever held a grudge against was dead already, and so, for the moment, out of reach in that respect anyway.  
  
Severus opened the lid of the chest and pulled out the largest item cradled inside.  
  
Just as it had come to him two years ago, it was wrapped in a thick length of black velvet, and for only the second time, he uncovered the heavy object, setting it gently on the table.  
  
A column of sea-green glass: two snakes entwined, stretching upward together. The glass was crafted so finely that the snakes seemed to be writhing against one another, an internal spark of life that made the sinuous design that much more fluid, sensuous... erotic. It was extraordinary.  
  
Why the artist had chosen to send it to him was a mystery. One made even more baffling with the knowledge that said artist was none other than Harry Potter.  
  
Severus reached into the chest and pulled out the rest of its contents: several little bundles tied with string. The boy (who was at present, by Severus's reckoning, twenty-five, and not a boy at all) had sent him letters and postcards quite regularly—still continued to do so, in fact—despite Severus's rare response in tersely worded notes.  
  
The postcards were from all over the world, but the ones from the Mediterranean tempted him the most. If one had to die before his time, wouldn't it ease the passage somewhat if it were done in Greece, or Italy, with the breathtaking views he'd so longed to see?  
  
And perhaps a reasonable person, one with no ties, no home to speak of, would do just that.  
  
However, no matter how he shuffled the items on his To Do list, the same one sat consistently and firmly in the first spot: Harry Potter.  
  
Potter's letters had begun somewhat confessional, each with a greeting of 'Dear Professor Snape', seeking as well as granting forgiveness. That early correspondence had led to Potter inviting Severus to stay at Grimmauld Place upon his release from St. Mungo's, where they had cohabitated with unexpected ease prior to and during Severus's trial. In fact, Potter had done everything in his power to secure Severus's acquittal, and it certainly wasn't for his lack of trying that they'd been unsuccessful in stopping the _Prophet_ from running that series of damning post-trial articles about Severus.  
  
The letters had become postcards several months after Severus had accepted the Hylton brothers' offer without hesitation. And the greeting had become 'Dear Severus' by then, as Severus, operating under the faulty notion that he'd never see or hear from Potter again, had relented and agreed that they could be less formal.  
  
Because it wasn't only the backlash of that libelous rubbish that had driven Severus to accept the Hylton brothers' offer so readily.  
  
No, he might've ridden out the maelstrom created by the _Prophet's_ irresponsible practices and sensationalized drivel-spewing, if it hadn't been for Severus's alarming (and mortifyingly _growing_ ) attraction to Potter. The abrupt change of opinion about the boy, a person he had at one time genuinely disliked (if not hated), had been unthinkable, unacceptable, unreasonable, unconscionable, and most of all, unwelcome.  
  
All of the missives had been signed the same way: 'Yours, Harry.'  
  
He could mark Potter's journey from beginning to end with the postcards, along with the letters that had come during the time Potter had lived in Italy, filled with exuberance for the glasswork he'd discovered there.  
  
Severus had speculated over the years as to why Potter was so persistent about sending them, and why he had sent the extraordinary glass. The answer he came back to time and again was preposterous, of course. Laughable even. No doubt, the true reason behind the communication was some sort of misguided sense of duty; it was no secret that Potter had appalling nobility issues. And the glass, well, the snakes could have simply reminded him of his old Slytherin professor, or might have been a comment on Severus's near-fatal encounter with a snake.  
  
But what if it weren't?  
  
It was the ' _what if_ ' that kept Severus from purchasing a one-way Portkey to some lovely Mediterranean spot.  
  
 _What if_ the meaning behind Potter's persistent correspondence, as well as the gift of the glass, was exactly the seemingly absurd conclusion that Severus had drawn?  
  
 _What if_ (oh Merlin, it'd been so long...), what if he had an opportunity to indulge in a spot of buggery with Harry Potter, and never took it?  
  
 _What if_ he died, never knowing for certain?  
  
That last question made up his mind for him. And if it turned out that the notion was preposterous after all, well, what was a little humiliation compared to death?  
  
So, it seemed he was headed for Cornwall.  
  
  
-:-:-:-:-  
  
  
"The meter's just here, pop a quid in and you'll be good all day for hot water and heating, if you've a need."  
  
Severus dropped his valise into one of the four chairs surrounding the dining table, and set the leather chest down on the tabletop. His landlady showed him around the stone cottage he had rented for two months, droning on about amenities and the local sights to see.  
  
"...the beaches and the Lighthouse, of course. If you go up The Carn, take a coat—it's a raw wind that comes up that summit, even in the summertime. And there's Chûn Castle, on the gump..."  
  
As stomping around moors was not on Severus's agenda, he listened to the matronly woman with only half an ear. He opened the chest and pulled out the glass, carefully unwrapping it, then set it in the center of the table.  
  
"Oh! I see you've some of our Harry's glass. It's lovely, isn't it? His shop is an easy walk from here, if you fancy some more. It's a boon to our little village having him here—we've four new shops, a café, and a hairdresser's now. And tourists all year round. Never seen anything like it. Odd folk, some of 'em, but friendly, just the same." She smiled proudly, then added, "Usually we're booked for months in advance. Wasn't it a lucky thing you came along right after that nice couple from Tamworth suddenly decided they'd rather be at the Inn? Serendipity, it was."  
  
"Quite. Thank you, Mrs. Trethewey," Severus responded, hoping to speed her departure. "Everything looks to be in order."  
  
She took the hint, but smiled kindly. "I'll leave you to it, then, shall I?" In parting she added, "Welcome to Pendeen, Mr. Snape. I hope you enjoy your stay."  
  
Once alone, Severus explored the cottage for himself. The living area was an open room that served as a dining room as well. There was a small fridge, a fireplace that had what appeared to be a coal burning stove in it, and there was even a TV, not that he'd make use of the thing. The tour concluded with two bedrooms of equal size and one full bathroom.  
  
Severus stowed his bag in one of the bedrooms, then walked outside to find a garden sitting area with a small lawn, and a spectacular view overlooking the sea. He took his evening meal at that table, and then ended the day sitting in reverent silence, listening to the sounds of the sea and experiencing, for the first time in decades, a glorious, vibrantly colored sunset.  
  
A good omen, Severus thought.  
  
  
-:-:-:-:-  
  
  
It took him a few days to actually go into Potter's shop, opting instead to sit in the café opposite, near the window. A little reconnaissance was in order before making his move, perhaps a hint of Potter's routine would help, some inkling of how Potter lived now.  
  
Admittedly, his plan was not very well thought-out, considering it'd been largely hatched by his libido.  
  
Like nearly all the structures in this place, Potter's shop was stone, with two large windows flanking the doorway. The sign above the door read: Enchanted Glass. The name was a bit cheeky in this thoroughly Muggle place, Severus thought.  
  
As for the artist himself, Severus had spotted Potter a few times, only glimpses, but enough to confirm that he was indeed there, looking entirely edible, even at a distance.  
  
By the end of the third day, Severus thought the barista might have been eyeing him for a stalker. At that point, he wasn't so certain he could disagree.  
  
So, on the fourth day, Severus strode into Potter's shop.  
  
Then stopped short, awed by the dazzling colors all around him. The art glass adorned every surface: incredible, remarkable, impossible pieces, everywhere he looked.  
  
Nearest to him on a white pedestal was a blue sculpture that Severus was tempted to touch, just to be certain it was solid and not the flowing water it appeared to be. He was in possession of a fine example of Potter's work, but seeing it all now, in such quantity, displayed and lit to perfection, was nearly overwhelming.  
  
"They're gorgeous, aren't they?"  
  
Severus looked up to find it was a pretty, spritely blonde woman who'd spoken. She looked vaguely familiar to him, which was true of most witches and wizards younger than himself.  
  
With good reason.  
  
"Oh! Professor Snape!" she proclaimed with surprise when he'd turned toward her fully. "Fancy seeing you here." She smiled, seeming to know he was struggling to come up with a name. Putting a hand out, she provided it herself, "Priscilla Goodwell."  
  
Severus reached out and accepted the firm handshake as the name finally connected in his memory. "Ah. Slytherin, late eighties, I believe."  
  
"Yes! Exactly right." She smiled again, seemingly pleased he'd remembered. The Muggle dress she wore was a sunny yellowish-orange shade, and seemed to be a cut and color meant to soften her appearance, to put people at ease, belying the frenetic energy he sensed just below her polished surface. She fairly vibrated with it, and Severus wondered what this sort of alpha personality was doing working as a shopgirl; she seemed the sort that never relaxed, ready to launch into action at any given moment.  
  
"I'm Harry's business agent—I'm just minding the shop while Melinda, the shopgirl, fetches us coffee," she answered his question before he could pose it. "Harry's just out back, in his workshop, if you'd like to pop in and say hello."  
  
Severus didn't know what to make of the look in her eyes, but her smile was genuine.  
  
"Perhaps I shall."  
  
"Good. Harry'll be thrilled to see you, I think." She pointed to her right and said, "If you go back out the door, there's a gate in the alley to the left; follow the path and it'll take you straight back to the workshop."  
  
Severus dared not consider her proclamation about Potter being 'thrilled' to see him as he pushed through the gate and walked the path to the workshop.  
  
The structure had large, arched bay doors that met in the middle, closed at the moment, and a multi-paned window to the left of the doors.  
  
He could hear a drone coming from within that Severus assumed was the furnace used in the making of glass. Uncertain how to gain entrance, and uncertain he'd be welcome if Potter were immersed in work (or at all, really), Severus approached the window, which was open, and the sight before him nearly brought him to his knees.  
  
Potter was in there all right, but he wasn't working. He was leaning against a pole, his head thrown back, another young man kneeling before him, and Severus had a perfect side-view of the encounter.  
  
Well, that was one hurdle cleared: Potter was clearly not averse to the attentions of men.  
  
"Christ, Sam. This is absolutely _not_ what I hired you for!" Potter laughed breathlessly, weaving his fingers into the chestnut hair of the young man on his knees, and after a few more moments of attention, he climaxed with a shout. Sagging against the pole, catching his breath, Potter sighed and asked wryly, "Is it still sexual harassment if the employ _ee_ is the one molesting the employ _er_?"  
  
The man called Sam only smiled a dimple-ly, impish smile, while helpfully tucking Potter back into his trousers.  
  
"Honestly, what would Michael say if he knew you'd done that, eh?"  
  
"When I tell him later—and I _will_ tell him—he'll say, 'Good on ya, mate!' then he'll beg me to ask you if he could have a go, too," Sam responded laughingly.  
  
"Randy sods, the both of you," Potter accused with a laugh.  
  
It was at this point that Severus caught his own reflection in the glass, in conjunction with the two lovely young men inside, and reconsidered his plan. The bedraggled old man (a flushed, aroused, Peeping Tom of an old man) looking back at him could not possibly hold any appeal for someone like Harry Potter.  
  
What in the world had he been thinking?  
  
He fled, as quickly and as quietly as he could, heading in the exact opposite direction he needed to go in order to avoid crossing in front of the store, disappointment hard on his heels.  
  
As he hurried away, Severus realized he'd been mistaken about humiliation: it was infinitely more painful than death, he now recalled.  
  
And he would know, he'd been dead once before.  
  
He was just glad he'd averted disaster before it could happen.  
  
Perhaps he'd go to Greece after all—there were beautiful young men there as well, and surely a fat purse would be blinding when it came to his less than ideal features. There was something to be said for anonymity.  
  
"Oh! Oh no!" Severus heard, before feeling something wet plop onto his shoulder.  
  
Paint, by the smell of it. Aubergine in color.  
  
He looked up to find a woman on the ladder he'd just been about to step around.  
  
Or more precisely, a woman _falling_ from the ladder he'd just been about to step around.  
  
Instinctively, he reached out, catching her before she hit the ground.  
  
She hugged him around the neck, then squeezed. "Thank you! Oh thank you! Dunno what I'd've done if you hadn't been there."  
  
Severus set her down on the ground, and she promptly tripped over the ladder behind her.  
  
"Drat!" She stamped her foot in frustration, then kicked the ladder. "Clumsy _idiot_."  
  
When she righted herself, Severus found that she, too, looked familiar. She, in fact, looked remarkably similar to Potter's agent, though, just as spritely, she was a brunette, rather than a blonde.  
  
And despite the fact that Severus had no memory of having this young woman in his class, she recognized him.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Professor Snape."  
  
"Miss _Goodwell_?" Severus ventured.  
  
She looked pleased, then said, "Yes it is. Angelica, actually. You wouldn't have had me in your class at Hogwarts though." She elaborated matter-of-factly, "I'm a Squib. But Harry and Cilla, my sister, talk of you. And your picture was in the paper, of course."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Oh, look what a mess I've made of you! Of us both," she said, and Severus noticed that some of the aubergine paint had transferred from his shirt to hers. "Though, I was prepared for it." She smiled apologetically, indicating the already paint-stained over-shirt she wore. "Come inside, won't you? I'll fix you right up. I owe you my life, the least I can do is replace your shirt."  
  
"It was less than a storey's fall, I hardly think you would have died."  
  
"Oh, pish posh." She waved his logic away. "I'd've hurt myself for certain. Come in—I insist. I don't have any afternoon appointments. Thought I'd paint the window trim, and ended up painting you instead."  
  
Severus followed without comment, simply because the paint had soaked through to his skin and was becoming uncomfortable; it seemed only fair to let her replace the shirt.  
  
"This," she said with a flourish, "is Angelica's Beauty by Design."  
  
It was a hairdresser's by the look of it—likely the very one about which Mrs. Trethewey had enthused—containing the requisite lift chairs and mirrors, but there was more to it than that.  
  
"This side is the salon, and this side," she led him through a wide doorway, "is the shop. The clothes I sell are consignment and second-hand, but I know I have something here for you."  
  
While she rummaged through the racks of clothing, Severus took a closer look at the shop. There were displays set up around the open space, appealingly arranged to show off bracelets and baubles, belts and bags, but the most interesting to Severus were the ones displaying pots and bottles and jars adorned with handcrafted labels.  
  
"Here we are. This'll work, I think." She held up a shirt as she walked toward him. "Oh, those are my own concoctions. I make custom ones, too," Angelica said, in reference to the jar he held. She added somewhat wistfully, "I would've ruled at potions. Yours would've been my favorite class, I just know it."  
  
Severus sighed and put down the jar, feeling his age for the second time that day. "That is highly doubtful—I was a very poor teacher. By and large, the one most detested by students."  
  
"I don't know about that: Harry seems to like you just fine, and Cilla respects you quite a lot, too."  
  
"Potter and I only made our peace after the war, and as for your sister, I was her Head of House, there is some loyalty to be had, even in Slytherin."  
  
She looked skeptical, but didn't argue any further, leading him into the salon again—knocking into a cart containing various tools of her trade along the way, which set some of the items toppling over and had her swearing softly—then through another doorway at the back. "The bathroom is the second door there, if you'd like to wash up and change."  
  
Using his wand, Severus cleaned up the paint, which was already stiffening. Despite his best efforts, some of the color held fast to his white cotton shirt, leaving a lavender stain. Ah, well, he'd purchased several of them in anticipation of spending time in a Muggle area.  
  
The replacement shirt was the same long-sleeved Oxford style, but in pink instead, a color he would never have chosen on his own, but it would do in a pinch.  
  
Once he'd put himself back together, Severus found Angelica in a kitchen area that appeared to have been converted for brewing. It was a tidy space and Severus looked around approvingly; it was open and sunny and was as unlike his former brewing room as was possible.  
  
He had meant to thank her and take his leave, but he found himself strangely reluctant.  
  
As if sensing this, Angelica said over her shoulder, "I've made tea, I hope you'll stay." She turned with a smile, carrying a tea tray, and set it carefully down on the table. "Oh, that looks lovely. You should always wear warm colors, they suit you."  
  
Severus had no idea how to respond to such a statement, so he took a seat and the proffered teacup with a nod of thanks.  
  
They sat in a surprisingly companionable silence, fixing then drinking their tea. Severus reached for one of the chocolate biscuits she'd set out, and found it to be delicious.  
  
He looked up, but before he could comment, she said, "I bake, as well."  
  
Severus swallowed his mouthful and said, "Ah. You are clearly a multi-talented young woman, Miss Goodwell."  
  
She beamed, looking delighted by his assessment. "I get by, well enough. All my Gran's doing. She was a witch and Granddad was a Muggle. I take after him." She smiled wryly. "But Gran taught me all she knew about potions and brewing, and cooking too."  
  
Sipping his tea, Severus noted that her demeanor changed slightly, as if she were carefully weighing her words, so he was somewhat prepared when she finally said, "I hope you don't mind me asking, Professor, but I slipped on the ladder because I recognized you and saw you marching away from Harry's at a fair clip: did something happen? I don't mean to pry, honestly, it's just that, Harry talks very highly of you—I can't understand why he'd do or say something that might chase you away like that."  
  
Severus's first instinct was to tell her to mind her own business, but he was torn by a second, stronger impulse to share with her what had occurred. He didn't know what it was about her that made it easy for him to even consider such a thing, except that perhaps it was that she reminded him very strongly of two different women: Nymphadora Tonks, who'd shared Angelica's earnest good intentions (as well as her clumsiness), but with whom he'd never shared a friendship, and Lily Evans, with whom he had.  
  
It'd been quite some time since he'd had a friend.  
  
He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "What you saw was a man faced with his own shortcomings." When she seemed unenlightened by his answer, he cleared his throat and supplied with a significant look, "Potter was otherwise... _occupied_. I saw him, but never spoke to him." At her continued blank look, he elaborated, now bordering on impatience, "He was with a young man. They were not making glass."  
  
She got the gist of it then; her eyes opened wide. "Oh!" She covered her mouth, giggling. Then she sighed and shook her head. "Oh dear..."  
  
Thinking about the incident brought the disappointment back, and it landed in the pit of Severus's stomach with a dull thud. It must have shown on his face, because Angelica studied him for a moment, then reached behind her into a cupboard, stretching to retrieve a bottle.  
  
"Perhaps this calls for something a bit stronger than tea." She held the bottle of whiskey aloft, then twisted off the cap, pouring a ration into her tea. "I've gin too, but you don't strike me as a gin man."  
  
"You would be correct," Severus responded, taking the bottle she pushed toward him and doctoring his own tea. He left the bottle at hand, certain he wasn't finished with it yet.  
  
She was too perceptive by far, and Severus knew he should tread cautiously, but the whiskey was already doing its job as he added just a wee bit more to his now entirely tealess cup, and he was feeling rather more... relaxed in her company.  
  
"Will you go again?" she asked after few minutes of silent drinking had passed. "To see Harry, I mean. He'll be devastated if you were here and he didn't get to see you."  
  
"I hardly think he'll be devastated without my company."  
  
"Trust me, Professor, devastated might not even be strong enough."  
  
He pursed his lips, considering what she'd said. Clearly, she was friendly with Potter, and her allusions seemed, at least to Severus, to indicate that his own thinking might not have been so outrageous after all.  
  
Later, he might argue that it had been canny planning on his part, offering her insight of a personal nature strictly to prompt an exchange of information. In reality, it was rather more likely the combination of a sympathetic ear and a liberal application of good Irish whiskey had loosened his tongue.  
  
"Be that as it may, he was clearly involved with this... _Sam_ , and I am no competition for such an attractive young man. He is everything that I am not: young, good-looking, with everything ahead of him. They are much better suited for each other."  
  
He swallowed the last of the whiskey in his cup, washing away the surprisingly bitter taste the words had left in his mouth.  
  
"Sam? That randy git? He's been trying to get into Harry's pants since the day Harry hired him," she said dismissively. "Please, you mustn't give up on him. I'm absolutely certain it meant nothing to Harry. And I don't know why you seem to think you're so undesirable anyway. I think you're handsome."  
  
The outrageous declaration caught Severus off-guard and he scoffed, "Perhaps you should have your eyes examined, then."  
  
"My eyes are perfect, thank you very much." She stood suddenly and tugged his arm. "Come with me."  
  
He followed, strictly out of curiosity, and she sat him in one of the lift chairs, then turned it to face the mirror.  
  
"Look. Really look. It's true that you're not a classic beauty. But what you have is so much better. Uniquely handsome. Strong jaw and nose, distinguished looking features. That widow's peak is dramatic and coupled with your dark hair and dark eyes, you've a roguish, exotic look."  
  
Try as he might, Severus only saw his own craggy features staring back at him, and his genuine doubt was as plain to see as the nose on his face.  
  
"Oh, it's a bit rough, I'll grant you, but it's there." Severus looked past himself in the mirror to her reflection; she had a gleam in her eye that made him wary. "I have a proposition for you, Professor. I'll polish up your raw beauty, if you help me with my brewing. I know I don't have magic, so it won't be real potions, but I'd like to expand my line, and I'm at the end of my knowledge."  
  
Severus considered her for a moment; here he'd been, thinking her entirely Hufflepuff, only to find her Slytherin at the core.  
  
He might've been surprisingly out-manipulated, but he gave serious thought to her offer. He could hardly look worse for her efforts, and if she did somehow manage to make him look worse, he could easily undo the damage with magic.  
  
And if she were successful...  
  
Severus thought again of the clock ticking down the time he had remaining.  
  
"You may call me Severus."  
  
"It's a deal?" She asked, clapping her hands together. She reached out and they shook on it. "You should call me Angelica, then. Let's get started, shall we?" She grinned, clapping her hands together again. "Oh! I adore a make-over!"

  
-:-:-:-:-  
  
  
Though he couldn't see it from his little patio and had to search out a good vantage point, the sunrise was just as spectacular as the sunset.  
  
Severus went back inside the cottage and began getting ready for the day, feeling slightly more optimistic than he had yesterday.  
  
Once he finally donned the suit that Angelica had proclaimed 'latte' in color, he made a quick check of his shorn and tamed hair in the mirror. Though the shampoo Angelica had pressed upon him seemed to have worked wonders (as had the facial treatment she'd insisted upon subjecting him to), he thought it was best not to dwell on his look for fear of undoing the bit of confidence he'd managed to acquire in the last twenty-four hours.  
  
As he walked toward Potter's shop, he considered what he might say. One didn't just blurt out a desire to bugger a man after not having seen him for six years. Surely, some convincing might be in order, and there was bound to be some sort of protocol, some customary steps to be taken before bedding a person. Severus was a couple of decades out of practice and, truthfully, hadn't been terribly _practiced_ twenty years ago, either.  
  
Dinner seemed safe enough to start. Ordering the boy to have dinner with him, while being more comfortable for Severus, might be a tad off-putting to Potter, and off-putting was definitely to be avoided.  
  
Looking into the shop, Severus discovered only a lone girl, whom he assumed to be the elusive shopgirl, Melinda, and he was faced with a decision.  
  
Before he could consider his options, however, he heard voices coming from the alley path to Potter's workshop, and despite his experience with eavesdropping the day before, he stopped to listen, out of sight.  
  
"...years I've been trying to get him here?" Potter said, his voice rising with every word. "I can't believe this. Why are you only telling me this now?"  
  
"I'm sorry, darling, but when you didn't come back, I thought you and he were... reacquainting yourselves. How was I to know that you'd be indulging in an afternoon delight with your assistant? Perhaps if you'd kept it in your pants this wouldn't have happened."  
  
"I know, god I know you're right, but it's not like I set out to do it. Sam's always walking round without a shirt, and he's really fit, and really, really persistent, and it's been a while for me... Gah!" Potter growled in frustration. "One time! I give in one time... Worst. Timing. Ever."  
  
"All right, just calm down—it'll all work out, trust me."  
  
Potter said mournfully, "How'd he look? D'you think he—"  
  
"He looked like Snape, only in Muggle clothes rather than black robes. You know I don't share your fascination with the man."  
  
Severus heard a sigh and he assumed it came from Potter, who responded to Priscilla's comment, "It's not fascination. I just... after the war, we became close, and I thought maybe... I hoped, anyway... but then he basically disappeared. I've been sending him letters and postcards, invitations, ever since. Pathetic, really. But now he's here! Maybe he understood after all?"  
  
"I don't know, Harry, I think he might need more blatant overtures; he doesn't seem the sort who's accustomed to fielding subtle propositions."  
  
Potter laughed hollowly. "I sent him the snakes, Cilla; there was nothing subtle about it. I might as well have sent him a giant glass penis it's so phallic."  
  
"The snakes?" she said with a laugh. "Right. Not subtle, that... You know, I wondered what happened to that piece—I thought you might've kept it for yourself."  
  
"What d'you think it means, that he's here? Just... Fuck! I can't believe I've ruined it before I even got a chance to see him."  
  
Well, that was entirely too delicious for words: Severus really couldn't have asked for a better opening.  
  
"Perhaps you should let me decide that. Hmmm?" Severus said, stepping into the alley.  
  
Potter looked stunned. "Severus! Er... did you... Wow! You... uhm, you look really good." He huffed, obviously flustered, then added, "Hi."  
  
  
  
Bemused but delighted by Potter's discomfiture, Severus returned the greeting. "Hello."  
  
"Well, I'll just pop in and check on Melinda, shall I?" said Priscilla. She sent Severus a broad smile that was at once knowing and encouraging, then said with a wink as she parted, "It's good to see you again, Professor."  
  
"Miss Goodwell." Severus nodded.  
  
Potter stood seemingly at a loss for words, and Severus withstood his scrutiny without comment, taking the opportunity to look Potter over, up close now, as well. He was both taller and broader than the last time they'd met, his hair was the same whirlwind it had always been, but the round, ill-fitting glasses had been replaced by ones that were stylish, calling attention to the large green eyes behind them.  
  
"You look really good," Potter said softly.  
  
"So you've said," Severus responded, amused.  
  
"Right," Potter smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I just can't believe you're really here, after all this time."  
  
"You've been inviting me for years; I thought it time to see for myself what you've got here." Severus added, "I apologize for neglecting to inform you of my arrival—it was a spur of the moment decision."  
  
"It's not a problem at all. I'm glad you came." Potter added quietly, "You've no idea."  
  
"Good." It was proceeding far better than Severus had imagined; Potter seemed genuinely happy to see him. "Are you free this evening, Harry?"  
  
Potter grinned. "I am."  
  
Severus pressed on, "Would you care to have dinner with me?"  
  
"I'd love to."  
  
"Excellent. Perhaps you could recommend a restaurant, as I am unfamiliar with the area."  
  
"I can, yeah. I know just the place, in Penzance, easy to reach by Apparation. I'll meet you at seven, then? Where are you staying?"  
  
"Boscaswell, near the Lighthouse."  
  
Potter beamed at him. "The Tin Miner's Cottage."  
  
"Yes, I'm in number one. Until this evening, then," Severus added with a slight bow, then he turned and walked away at a leisurely pace that belied the maddening rush of anticipation.  
  
One night, that was all that he wanted.  
  
Surely, that wasn't too much to ask for? Even for him.  
  
  
-:-:-:-:-  
  
  
Dinner was an unmitigated success.  
  
"Uhngh, harder, Severus!"  
  
The restaurant Potter had chosen was in an historic district of Penzance and had been as charming inside as it had been outside. The staff and owners had been friendly, calling Potter by name, efficient and attentive without being intrusive. The food had been excellent, as had the conversation, after an initial slight awkwardness. Severus had endured a thorough update on the doings of many sundry Weasleys, as well as the progress of Potter's godson with rare good humor.  
  
Nothing, not the mundane details of the lives of Potter's friends, not the ease with which Severus was able to steer the conversation toward Potter and away from himself, not even Potter's impassioned and highly animated description of his glassmaking process (which was, surprisingly, strictly the traditional Muggle method) could have led him to imagine the sight currently before his eyes.  
  
"Severus, please...?" Potter pleaded with him.  
  
The man was on all fours in the middle of his own bed, his hands were tied in a length of silk, each to a bed post then twisted together just above his hands, so Severus could turn him at will. Why he would choose to turn him, Severus couldn't imagine—Potter's arse was as extraordinary and finely shaped as his glasswork.  
  
He pulled back a hand to oblige Potter's plea, and with more force this time, smacked the nearest cheek, just above the crease where arse met leg, increasing the glowing red of the mark already decorating the pale flesh.  
  
"Had I known you would respond to corporal punishment in this manner, we might have had an entirely different relationship while you were in school," Severus said wryly, slapping the other cheek, to keep the red marks even.  
  
"Mmmmmmm, god," was Potter's reply.  
  
"You like that, don't you? The naughty schoolboy, is it?"  
  
Severus slapped again and again, smacking each cheek alternately, every blow to Potter's arse sending a thrum of excitement through him until he ached with it.  
  
He couldn't resist the pale round flesh, now marred with red hand prints, any longer and crouched down to lick across the welt with a flat tongue, blowing on the damp, sensitive skin as he pulled back.  
  
Potter's scent was all around him and he pushed his face between Potter's legs and parted the cheeks, licking and kissing up the soft skin of Potter's perineum, continuing up to and then circling the puckered hole with the tip of his tongue.  
  
As Potter howled his approval, Severus pressed in and out, deeper each time, until Potter was panting raggedly and pushing back into Severus's face with each pass, keening loudly.  
  
"Severus, god please fuck me please please please.... I want you inside me when I come."  
  
Severus obliged the demand and pushed Potter onto his side, then curled himself around Potter's back, kissing the neck and shoulders, intending to take Potter this way, from behind.  
  
"On my back. I wanna see you, Severus, please?"  
  
When Potter faced him, Severus gazed at him in wonder. He'd done this to Potter, he'd made him flushed with desire, made his eyes heavy and dark with it as well, made Potter plead for Severus to give him pleasure. Potter lifted his head and kissed Severus hungrily, nipping and sucking Severus's bottom lip, then sliding his tongue along Severus's, and soon Potter had the plumped red lips to complete his look of total debauchery.  
  
"Please," was all he said.  
  
Severus crawled between Potter's spread legs, putting them on his shoulders. He cast a silent, wandless lubrication spell, spreading the slick stuff on himself then pressing some into Potter as well.  
  
Potter cast a spell of his own, as the silk bindings disappeared, and he reached up to pull Severus down for another kiss. Severus's slicked up cock slid along Potter's, which caused them both to moan at the exquisite friction.  
  
"Now, Severus. Please."  
  
"So polite," Severus responded breathlessly, still a bit stunned that he was there at all.  
  
Potter chuckled, and Severus aligned himself, then slowly pressed inside the incredible, welcoming heat.  
  
They both sighed in appreciation, but Severus remained still, waiting for Potter to adjust to the intrusion.  
  
It was only a heartbeat or two before Potter took matters into his own hands, clenching around Severus and pushing his hips up. That was all the encouragement Severus needed; he pulled out then plunged in, over and over again. Potter pulled his legs to his chest, lifting his arse for a better angle and moaned loudly. "Yes, god right there don't move from there!"  
  
A few more thrusts had Potter howling again, and before Severus could take hold of Potter's cock, he was spurting his release between them onto his stomach and chest.  
  
Severus lowered himself to his elbows and took Potter's mouth in a demanding kiss, riding the wave that Potter had created to his own completion, thrusting wildly, losing the rhythm he'd built, finally spending himself inside the tight channel after one last hard thrust.  
  
Potter released a contented sigh and curled around Severus, who was still trying to come back to Earth. He sank into the warm embrace, falling asleep as Potter gently stroked his chest.  
  
His last thought before falling into oblivion was that it had been entirely worth it. One night with Potter was utter perfection, and he could die happy now; though, greedily, he thought it was a shame it wouldn't be repeated.  
  
  
-:-:-:-:-  
  
  
As it turned out, he was wrong.  
  
One night became two, and then three, until Severus had been there three weeks, and he had passed that time in a sort of idyllic fog. He never meant to stay—his quest had been for a singular encounter, to get laid to put it crudely, chiefly because it never occurred to him that Potter would want more. But Potter was as insatiable as he was generous. Severus had managed to keep up with him, and in so doing, managed as well to forget for a time what had driven him there to begin with.  
  
The very little bit of time Severus wasn't spending with Potter, he was working with Angelica. She'd been correct in her self-assessment, Severus realized: had she the magic, she would have excelled at potions. She had a natural instinct for brewing, a feel for the ingredients, as well as for the process. For the first time in, well, possibly ever, he was actually enjoying teaching.  
  
Having already covered the basics, they were currently working on her existing formulas.  
  
"Honey. Very good," Severus said, reading through her cards. "Tremendous healing properties. I have never seen it used for wrinkles, however."  
  
"Oh, it's great. It works for spots too."  
  
"Poly or monofloral?"  
  
"Mono—I mix my own. Raw, before you ask." Angelica grinned.  
  
Severus meant to issue a pithy retort, but the words on the formula cards he held became unreadable, and he was forced to grab onto the table to steady himself.  
  
He'd felt so well in the last few weeks, he hadn't noticed that the persistent ache in his head had all but disappeared. Not until it came back full force, and then some. It was a rather painful reminder of what loomed on the horizon for him.  
  
"All right, Severus?" Angelica asked, her face full of concern.  
  
"I am. Just a headache. I think I shall call it a day, however."  
  
He Apparated to the cottage and crawled into bed. Just before sleep claimed him, Severus thought of Potter. He had to tell Potter the truth. It was entirely unfair to do otherwise.  
  
When he awoke, it was dark. He felt the bed dip as Potter sat down and gently stroked a hand through Severus's hair.  
  
"Hey," he said softly. "Ange said you had a headache."  
  
"Yes. Sleeping has relieved it."  
  
Potter smiled in the flickering light of the candle he'd lit. "Good. D'you want to stay here tonight? I could fetch us some takeaway."  
  
Severus rubbed a hand over his face, forming his thoughts. "Harry, listen to me. I must speak with you about something. I haven't been completely honest with you," Severus began quietly.  
  
"Oh?" Potter's eyebrows rose in question but his face remained open and trusting, causing a painful tug in Severus's chest. By his omission, Severus had betrayed that trust, and certainly did not deserve it.  
  
Severus continued in a low voice, "Before I arrived here, I saw a Healer. Headaches, among other symptoms, drove me to it. They were disrupting my work." Severus paused, then, gathering his courage, pushed on. "The Healer diagnosed me with..." he hesitated again: how to explain? He couldn't possibly. "The exact diagnosis is irrelevant. What matters is that the prognosis is not good. The condition is, in fact, terminal."  
  
It was several tense moments of watching shock, confusion and then despair cross Potter's face before he responded in a hushed, strained voice, "What? Right now? How much time? Why didn't you tell me before?"  
  
"No, not right now. I do not know how much time; the Healer was not specific—a few months at best," Severus answered the questions as they'd been issued, but found he had trouble with the last. He sighed, sitting up, with Potter helping to prop him up comfortably. Honesty, Severus decided, was the way of it. "Staying here this long was not in my plan. I never meant for you to know, never meant for it to be an issue."  
  
Something flashed in Potter's eyes. It might've been hurt, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "So you were just going to disappear again?"  
  
"In a sense, perhaps. But you must understand, I had no expectation—no hope, if I’m honest—of more than a single encounter with you. And not a great deal of hope for even that. You have been quite a surprise."  
  
Potter smiled, now looking determined. "Well, I won't let you disappear again. If you go, I'm going with you."  
  
Severus closed his eyes. This was not going as it should have. Bloody noble Potter. If he had any sense at all, he would be running the other way. Severus looked at the earnest face and the resolute green eyes and said, "I haven't any idea what this condition will do to me, how I will be as the end draws nearer, and I have no wish to be pitied, or to be a burden."  
  
Raising a hand to stroke Severus's face, Potter said softly, but firmly, "You won't be a burden, Severus, I love you. And I want to be with you as long as I can. Another month, another week, even if it's only another hour."  
  
It was Severus's turn to be stunned. He shook his head, denying the claim even before his mouth could form the words. "You couldn't possibly..."  
  
"I could, and I do. Have done for a while," Potter replied, then added with pleading eyes, "Let me take care of you, Severus."  
  
Severus responded the only way he could when faced with such illogic—he grabbed a handful of Potter's shirt and pulled him down, kissing him hard, demanding.  
  
Potter responded in kind, crawling up onto the bed and straddling Severus's legs. It was short work removing all of the clothing between them, but their coupling was much less frantic than in the past. Making love, Severus realized, and he marked every sigh, every whispered endearment, letting the ebb and the flow of bliss carry him as they built a wave of pleasure and intimacy that was unlike anything Severus had ever before experienced.  
  
If there truly were an afterlife, as Albus had been so certain, then Severus would take this with him to savor for eternity.  
  
It was Potter who first reached the crest of the gently swelling wave they created, but Severus soon followed in his wake, sighing softly as he thrust one last time into that perfect heat, "Harry."  
  
They lay quietly in a tangle for several heartbeats, then Potter broke the silence, saying in a low voice, "So it's settled, then. I'm going to take care of you. And tomorrow, we'll research this whatever it is that you have. Honestly, dunno what kind of Healer drops such a horrible diagnosis on a person then sends them on their way without any information about it. At least we'll know what to expect. And I think you should move in with me—we've lived together before and we were fine—that house is plenty big enough and you spend most nights there anyway."  
  
Severus recognized the stubborn set of Potter's jaw and knew that arguing with him would be an act of futility. He felt entirely too delicious at the moment to bash his head against the brick wall of Potter's obstinance.  
  
And admittedly, both suggestions had some merit.  
  
He hummed his agreement and pulled Potter closer, nuzzling his nose in the curls at the back of Potter's neck. Potter sighed and rubbed the arm Severus had draped over him.  
  
When Severus awoke the next day, the sun shone brightly in the sky. Clearly, he'd missed the sunrise, something he hadn't done since he'd arrived there, but it was hard to mind while wrapped around a sleep-warmed Potter.  
  
True to his word, the boy had fetched them some food and they'd not fallen asleep until well into the wee hours.  
  
There was a tap tap tap at the window and Severus realized what had awoken him.  
  
He eased out of bed and pulled on a dressing gown, opening the window to let the owl hop inside.  
  
"Severus? What is it?"  
  
Potter looked sleep-tousled and delectable, and Severus handed him the odd missive.  
  
"What does this mean, 'a problem with your diagnosis'?"  
  
"I believe I shall find out shortly."  
  
"I'm coming with you."  
  
"That is not necessary."  
  
Potter gave him that look again, and said, "It's part of the package, Severus. Moral support during potential bad news."  
  
"Along with a constant source of irritation, no doubt," Severus said dryly.  
  
"Take the good with the bad." Potter gave his t-shirt a great sniff and apparently finding it inoffensive, slipped it on. When his head emerged, he was smiling impishly. "Now, let's go, so I can give this Healer a piece of my mind."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't advise that," Severus said, then waited a beat to add dryly, "You hardly have it to spare."  
  
Potter threw his hands up over his head and crowed in triumph, crying out, "He's back! There's the snarky bastard I fell in love with."  
  
The action exposed a strip of pale, sparsely haired stomach that was somehow more enticing than the bare chest that had been on display only moments earlier. Severus merely raised an eyebrow, but struggled internally to stifle a laugh. How this delightful creature with the dancing green eyes had come to choose _him_ was beyond Severus's ken, but he was grateful for it nonetheless, and he showed it by pulling Potter to him and kissing him soundly.  
  
Half an hour later, they were waiting in the same examination room where Severus's journey had begun.  
  
"Why is it so cold in here?" Potter asked.  
  
Severus was about to snap at him to sit down and be quiet—his pacing was driving Severus mad—when the door opened.  
  
The white-robed Healer who entered the room was very much not the Healer who had diagnosed Severus a month and a half ago. He, in fact, better fit the mental image Severus had had prior to that first visit.  
  
"Mr. Snape? I'm Healer Washburn. Thank you for coming in so quickly. I imagine you're a bit perplexed."  
  
"That is an understatement."  
  
No doubt sensing his sudden unease, Potter asked, "What's going on, Severus?"  
  
The Healer blanched and stammered, "Oh! Mr. Potter. We, uh, have a lovely waiting room if you'd like to..."  
  
"Whatever you have to say to me can be said in front of Harry, as well."  
  
Potter took Severus's hand, leaning against the examination table on which Severus sat.  
  
"All right, then," Healer Washburn agreed, clearly flustered, but clearing his throat, he pressed on, "Mr. Snape, there's been a terrible mistake. Several weeks ago, a patient disappeared before I could see him. I didn't think anything of it at the time, as it does happen on occasion, especially with our more _impatient_ patients. Three weeks later, there was another, then another, and my suspicions began to grow, though I couldn't imagine what was happening. Yesterday, I was contacted by St. Mungo's—two of the three patients that had disappeared from my office had gone to them in great distress, having been diagnosed with something called a 'brain cloud' by someone claiming to be me."  
  
"That's all very well and good, but I'm still mystified as to why you've summoned me here," Severus said impatiently.  
  
Potter tightened his grip on Severus's hand.  
  
"Yes, I'm getting to that. You see, three months ago, I moved my father in with me. He suffers an advanced form of dementia that afflicts some aged folks, Muggle and wizard alike. I've had to shoo him out of examination rooms before, I'm afraid, as he likes to play Healer. But the three who disappeared were all new patients... I am so very sorry I didn't make the connection myself. Receiving that sort of news must have been quite a shock. My father is generally harmless, but is easily confused. And because he is, at times, rather childlike, we explained his dementia to him, in the simplest terms, calling it a sort of brain cloud, to be precise."  
  
Severus was stunned speechless, but looked to Potter, who was smiling broadly.  
  
"If you'll be so kind as to allow me to examine you, I think we can clear this up in a matter of minutes."  
  
Severus nodded his assent, and Potter stepped aside so the Healer could perform a very conventional examination.  
  
When he was done, Healer Washburn said, "Judging by the questionnaire you filled out the first time you were here, I'd say your problems were largely caused by long days brewing potions in an unventilated room. Are you still in the same situation?"  
  
"No, I am not."  
  
"Good." The Healer smiled and handed Severus a card, and said, "Read this for me, please. Whichever line you can make out the best."  
  
Severus squinted—all of the lines were hard to distinguish; though, they became slightly easier to read the further away he held the card. He read the third to last line aloud.  
  
"Excellent. Well, apart from a need for reading glasses, which is normal in a man your age, you are, as they say, healthy as a horse. Using the reading glasses should ease what's left of your headaches."  
  
Potter 'whooped' loudly and hugged him hard from the side.  
  
Severus was still in a state of shock when they stood on the pavement outside the Healer's office. He wasn't dying after all, at least, not any sooner than anybody else.  
  
Potter turned to Severus. "So," he began with a smirk, "you were diagnosed with something called a 'brain cloud,' and didn't think to get a second opinion?"  
  
Severus chose to shut him up the best way he knew how: he kissed him hard, right there in the street.  
  
When they broke apart, Potter said, "We need to celebrate." Then added, eyes growing wide with concern, "What's wrong?"  
  
The changing tide and enormity of his situation was settling in at that moment for Severus, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with the implications.  
  
He snapped, "What's wrong? I have no job, no prospects, no home, and I've spent nearly all of my savings, thinking I wouldn't need it longer than a few months. And in all likelihood, you will tire of me sooner rather than later and throw me aside for something better. What could possibly be wrong?" he added with a huff.  
  
"It's never going to be easy with you, is it?" Potter chuckled and hugged him.  
  
Severus stood straighter, tugging down the burgundy waistcoat he wore, and sniffed, "Certainly not."  
  
Grinning crookedly, Potter said, "All right, one thing at a time, Mr. Doom and Gloom. Firstly, I don't know if you're aware of it, but I'm very disgustingly filthy rich, so you're welcome to be a kept man until you find something you'd like to do, and if you wish to do nothing, that's fine too. We've already decided you're going to live with me. And I solemnly promise you, in a hundred or so years, _if_ I grow tired of you, which I highly doubt, I'll give you ample warning. There, problems all solved. Now, we have good reason to celebrate, so take me to _our_ home, and fuck me in _our_ bed."  
  
Feeling suddenly calmer, Severus looked into the sincere green eyes, which were crinkled at the corners in suppressed mirth. Far be it from him to argue with Potter's mad logic, when he'd brought such color into Severus's gray world. He would just have to deal with his concerns as they happened, cross each bridge as he came to it, as it were. _If he came to it_ , he added, a tiny spark of hope lighting within him. In the meantime, endless possibilities were suddenly open to him.  
  
One in particular was more immediate.  
  
"As you wish," Severus responded to Potter's demands in a low, husky voice.  
  
And so he did.  
  
  
  
FIN

**Author's Note:**

> End notes: Pendeen is real, as is the Tin Miner's Cottage in which Severus spent a month or so. I got my information for the cottage from this site: http://rentals.holiday.com/pendeen-west-country/, if you'd like to see it, too. I'm so going there one day.
> 
> I've taken terrible liberties with Cornwall, Pendeen, Mrs. Trethewey (who didn't mind a bit, feisty old bird), and in some cases, the English language. I confess, but do not apologize. *g*
> 
> **


End file.
